“The Oklahoma Bombing Memorial Address” – Bill Clinton (April 23rd, 1995)
Background
• The Oklahoma City Bombing was a terrorist attack which took place on April 19th, 1995 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
• Over 5,000 pounds of explosive were detonated in the Murrah Federal Building drop off zone.
• The blast killed 168 and injured over 800 others.
• Until the events of September 11th, 2001 the Oklahoma City Bombing was the deadliest act of terrorism on American soil.
• Initially, Islamic terrorists were blamed for the attack. Timothy McVeigh, Terry Nichols and Michael Fortier were later identified as the bombers.
• Four days after the bombing, President Clinton gave a speech to honor those who were wounded or killed in the attack. SPAM
• S-> Speaker
– William J. “Bill” Clinton (42nd president of the United States). The bombing is one of the first major catastrophes that Clinton must deal with. His response involved declaring a federal emergency in Oklahoma City and later passing the antiterrorism act of 1996.
• P-> Purpose
– To honor those who lost their lives in the Oklahoma City Bombing and give reassuring hope to the people of Oklahoma and America. Clinton does so by extensive use of emotion appeal.
• A-> Audience
– The audience is America as a whole, but more specifically the people who lost friends and family in the attack.
• M-> Medium
– Speech given at the Oklahoma State Fair Arena. The speech was also recorded, so that it could be watched by millions of others. This enabled millions to receive the message that Clinton was attempting to communicate. Rhetorical Devices
• Anaphora- The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginnings of successive sentences
• “We mourn with you. We share your hope… We thank all those who… We pledge to do all we can…”
• Asyndeton- Deliberate omission of conjunctions between a series of related phrases or words.
• “You saw them at church or the PTA meetings, at the civic clubs, at the ball park.”
• In Clinton’s speech, anaphora is used to emphasize the idea of being a united nation.
• Clinton also uses asyndeton to create a rhythmic pattern for his words, which in turn emphasize his point of the lost ones leaving behind many friends and families.
• Simile- A comparison between two essentially different items by terms such as “like” or “as.”
• “…the life of a good person is like a tree whose leaf does not wither.”
• Hortative Sentences- Admonishing that one do something.
• “Let us let our own children know… let us stand up and talk against it… let us honor life… let us ‘not be overcome be evil’…”
• The purpose of the simile is to remind the audience that a good person is strong and powerful against the forces of evil.
• The hortative sentences which Clinton used were to persuade the listeners to stand up for what they know is right, even when they feel overwhelmed by evil.
• Allusion- A reference to literature, a person, place or event which the author assumes the audience is familiar with.
• “…it came from a young widow and a mother of three whose own husband was murdered with over 200 other Americans when Pan Am 103 was shot down.”
• This is an allusion to a previous terrorist attack in 1988, when a bomb caused a trans-Atlantic flight to crash in Scotland.
crash of Pan Am 103
• Paradox- A statement that seems self-contradictory, but which turns out to have a coherent meaning.
• “You have lost too much, but you have not lost everything.”
• The main purpose of this somewhat contradicting statement is to point out that the people of Oklahoma and the United States should be optimistic and focus less on the injustice which took place. Appeals
• Ethos- (credibility) At the time, Clinton was a highly respected politician and the president of the United States. Clinton also says, “…Hillary and I also come as parents…” This statement characterizes Clinton as a parental figure. As a parental figure, Clinton becomes more trustworthy and reliable in the audience’s eyes.
• Pathos- (Emotional) Pathos is scattered throughout Clinton’s speech. In paragraph 4, he mentions the innocent children and parents lost in the attack.
• Clinton also provokes emotional appeal by mentioning that, “Those who are lost now belong to God.” Through the comment on God, Clinton brings up the subject of those who were lost in the bombing, and that they are in heaven. This appeals to religious majority of the audience.
• Logos- (logical) Clinton mentions near the end of his speech, “Justice will prevail.” This statement, along with others, appeal largely to reasoning and logic.
• “The anger you feel is valid, but you must not allow yourselves to be consumed by it.” Class Themes
• Clinton’s speech unites America as a whole, to mourn over the losses encountered from the April 19th, 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing.
• He mentions that America should fight for justice, a truly American ideal. Clinton also argues to stay united in the effort to overcome the overwhelming evil and fear which many faced.
“Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People”- George W. Bush (September 20th, 2001) •Background •On that morning,19 terrorists, affiliated with al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. •The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the World Trade Center in New York City, one plane into each towerresulting in the collapse of both buildings. •Aside from the 19 hijackers, 2,974 people died as an immediate result of the attacks with another 24 missing and presumed dead; the number of immediate victims totaled 2,998, the overwhelming majority of whom were civilians. •SPAM •S-> Speaker –George W. Bush (43rd president of the United States) This was one of the first big issues Bush had to face in his term in office. He wanted to show people that he cared what was going on in the nation and that he was going to do about it. •P-> Purpose –To address the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and what America plans on doing about the attacks. The American people had many questions that Bush answered in his speech. •A-> Audience –The American people and Congress. These are the people the attacks mainly effected. •M-> Medium –A speech giving in Washington on September 20th, 2001. Being a speech compared to something written down made it more personal and more effective. •Rhetorical Devices –Anaphora: The repetition of the Same word or group of words at the beginnings of successive sentences, clauses, or phrases. •“We have seen the state of our Union ….. We have seen the unfurling of flags, ….. We have seen the decency of a ….” •Anaphora is used so the people listening can have the feel of all the different accomplishments and strides that have been made so far. –Antimetabole: Repetition of words, in successive clauses, in reverse grammatical order. •“Whether we bring our enemies to justice, or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done.” •Bush has antimetabole used here to get the point across that justice will be done in some form. To get it in people’s head that their will be justice. –Allusion: A reference to a work of literature, or to a person. Place. Or event outside of literature, with which a writer or speaker expects an audience to be familiar with. •“Americans have known wars but for the past 136 years, they have been wars on foreign soil, except for one Sunday in 1941…Americans have known surprise attacks…” –This allusion is used to have the audience think of the sad times of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Also, people will know that America took action after the attack by Japan, and from this, they will know there will be action taken now. –Asyndeton: Deliberate omission of conjunctions between a series of related clauses, phrases, or words. •“Our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote, our freedom to disagree with each other.” –Asyndeton here is used to have a better flow of the different freedoms Bush is talking about. Also, by using asyndeton he is getting a more emotional reaction to this part of the speech. –Rhetorical Questions: A question that does not demand a response because the answer is obvious. •“Who attacked our country?” •“Why do they hate us?” •What is expected of us?” –Rhetorical Questions are used to strengthen Bush’s impact on the audience. Also, the listeners are able to tell what point will be address next. –Parallelism: Similarity of structure in a pair of series of related words, phrases, or clauses. •“We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail.” –Parallelism here is used to get the audience more rallied up about the cause of defeating terrorist. The speech is almost at a close so Bush wants to end on a high note. •Appeals •Ethos: (Creditability ) –George W. Bush is the president at the time. His father, who was a pervious president, had also gone to war in Iraq. People looked to Bush for answers. •Pathos: (Emotion) –There is a lot of talk of death and says the attacks on 9/11 are the worst the country has seen on American soil. Also, says how terrorist is a “dark threat” to give it an even more negative feel.In part of his speech Bush says of the terrorist wont even care if you are a man, women, or child. “..terrorists’ directive commands them to kill Christians and Jews, to kill all Americans, and make no distinctionamong military and civilians, including women and children.” –Also talks about stories at ground zero. Personal stories like the one of George Howard, who died trying to save others. Bush says how we will always have these memories in our mind. –Bush also says “God bless America” to bring a patriotic feel to the speech. •Logos: (Logic) –Bush knows there has to be something done after the attacks. He starts a new cabinet-level position called Homeland Security. He wants people to fell safe at home. –We should not blame all Arabic people is said by Bush. “The enemy of America is not our many Muslim friends; it is not our many Arab friends. Our enemy is a radical network of terrorists, and every government that supports them.” •Class Themes •Our rights as Americans –Bush mentions many of America’s freedoms in his speech and compares to the lack of freedom in terroristic countries.Our nation was based off of leaving brutal leaders or a hard life and coming to start a life how we wanted to. •America coming together for a cause –America is strong when we work together. This is shown throughout history.
“The Oklahoma Bombing Memorial Address” – Bill Clinton (April 23rd, 1995)
Background
• The Oklahoma City Bombing was a terrorist attack which took place on April 19th, 1995 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
• Over 5,000 pounds of explosive were detonated in the Murrah Federal Building drop off zone.
• The blast killed 168 and injured over 800 others.
• Until the events of September 11th, 2001 the Oklahoma City Bombing was the deadliest act of terrorism on American soil.
• Initially, Islamic terrorists were blamed for the attack. Timothy McVeigh, Terry Nichols and Michael Fortier were later identified as the bombers.
• Four days after the bombing, President Clinton gave a speech to honor those who were wounded or killed in the attack.
SPAM
• S-> Speaker
– William J. “Bill” Clinton (42nd president of the United States). The bombing is one of the first major catastrophes that Clinton must deal with. His response involved declaring a federal emergency in Oklahoma City and later passing the antiterrorism act of 1996.
• P-> Purpose
– To honor those who lost their lives in the Oklahoma City Bombing and give reassuring hope to the people of Oklahoma and America. Clinton does so by extensive use of emotion appeal.
• A-> Audience
– The audience is America as a whole, but more specifically the people who lost friends and family in the attack.
• M-> Medium
– Speech given at the Oklahoma State Fair Arena. The speech was also recorded, so that it could be watched by millions of others. This enabled millions to receive the message that Clinton was attempting to communicate.
Rhetorical Devices
• Anaphora- The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginnings of successive sentences
• “We mourn with you. We share your hope… We thank all those who… We pledge to do all we can…”
• Asyndeton- Deliberate omission of conjunctions between a series of related phrases or words.
• “You saw them at church or the PTA meetings, at the civic clubs, at the ball park.”
• In Clinton’s speech, anaphora is used to emphasize the idea of being a united nation.
• Clinton also uses asyndeton to create a rhythmic pattern for his words, which in turn emphasize his point of the lost ones leaving behind many friends and families.
• Simile- A comparison between two essentially different items by terms such as “like” or “as.”
• “…the life of a good person is like a tree whose leaf does not wither.”
• Hortative Sentences- Admonishing that one do something.
• “Let us let our own children know… let us stand up and talk against it… let us honor life… let us ‘not be overcome be evil’…”
• The purpose of the simile is to remind the audience that a good person is strong and powerful against the forces of evil.
• The hortative sentences which Clinton used were to persuade the listeners to stand up for what they know is right, even when they feel overwhelmed by evil.
• Allusion- A reference to literature, a person, place or event which the author assumes the audience is familiar with.
• “…it came from a young widow and a mother of three whose own husband was murdered with over 200 other Americans when Pan Am 103 was shot down.”
• This is an allusion to a previous terrorist attack in 1988, when a bomb caused a trans-Atlantic flight to crash in Scotland.
• Paradox- A statement that seems self-contradictory, but which turns out to have a coherent meaning.
• “You have lost too much, but you have not lost everything.”
• The main purpose of this somewhat contradicting statement is to point out that the people of Oklahoma and the United States should be optimistic and focus less on the injustice which took place.
Appeals
• Ethos- (credibility) At the time, Clinton was a highly respected politician and the president of the United States. Clinton also says, “…Hillary and I also come as parents…” This statement characterizes Clinton as a parental figure. As a parental figure, Clinton becomes more trustworthy and reliable in the audience’s eyes.
• Pathos- (Emotional) Pathos is scattered throughout Clinton’s speech. In paragraph 4, he mentions the innocent children and parents lost in the attack.
• Clinton also provokes emotional appeal by mentioning that, “Those who are lost now belong to God.” Through the comment on God, Clinton brings up the subject of those who were lost in the bombing, and that they are in heaven. This appeals to religious majority of the audience.
• Logos- (logical) Clinton mentions near the end of his speech, “Justice will prevail.” This statement, along with others, appeal largely to reasoning and logic.
• “The anger you feel is valid, but you must not allow yourselves to be consumed by it.”
Class Themes
• Clinton’s speech unites America as a whole, to mourn over the losses encountered from the April 19th, 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing.
• He mentions that America should fight for justice, a truly American ideal. Clinton also argues to stay united in the effort to overcome the overwhelming evil and fear which many faced.
“Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People”- George W. Bush
(September 20th, 2001)
• Background
• On that morning,19 terrorists, affiliated with al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners.
• The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the World Trade Center in New York City, one plane into each tower resulting in the collapse of both buildings.
• Aside from the 19 hijackers, 2,974 people died as an immediate result of the attacks with another 24 missing and presumed dead; the number of immediate victims totaled 2,998, the overwhelming majority of whom were civilians.
• SPAM
• S-> Speaker
– George W. Bush (43rd president of the United States) This was one of the first big issues Bush had to face in his term in office. He wanted to show people that he cared what was going on in the nation and that he was going to do about it.
• P-> Purpose
– To address the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and what America plans on doing about the attacks. The American people had many questions that Bush answered in his speech.
• A-> Audience
– The American people and Congress. These are the people the attacks mainly effected.
• M-> Medium
– A speech giving in Washington on September 20th, 2001. Being a speech compared to something written down made it more personal and more effective.
• Rhetorical Devices
– Anaphora: The repetition of the Same word or group of words at the beginnings of successive sentences, clauses, or phrases.
• “We have seen the state of our Union ….. We have seen the unfurling of flags, ….. We have seen the decency of a ….”
• Anaphora is used so the people listening can have the feel of all the different accomplishments and strides that have been made so far.
– Antimetabole: Repetition of words, in successive clauses, in reverse grammatical order.
• “Whether we bring our enemies to justice, or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done.”
• Bush has antimetabole used here to get the point across that justice will be done in some form. To get it in people’s head that their will be justice.
– Allusion: A reference to a work of literature, or to a person. Place. Or event outside of literature, with which a writer or speaker expects an audience to be familiar with.
• “Americans have known wars but for the past 136 years, they have been wars on foreign soil, except for one Sunday in 1941…Americans have known surprise attacks…”
– This allusion is used to have the audience think of the sad times of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Also, people will know that America took action after the attack by Japan, and from this, they will know there will be action taken now.
– Asyndeton: Deliberate omission of conjunctions between a series of related clauses, phrases, or words.
• “Our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote, our freedom to disagree with each other.”
– Asyndeton here is used to have a better flow of the different freedoms Bush is talking about. Also, by using asyndeton he is getting a more emotional reaction to this part of the speech.
– Rhetorical Questions: A question that does not demand a response because the answer is obvious.
• “Who attacked our country?”
• “Why do they hate us?”
• What is expected of us?”
– Rhetorical Questions are used to strengthen Bush’s impact on the audience. Also, the listeners are able to tell what point will be address next.
– Parallelism: Similarity of structure in a pair of series of related words, phrases, or clauses.
• “We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail.”
– Parallelism here is used to get the audience more rallied up about the cause of defeating terrorist. The speech is almost at a close so Bush wants to end on a high note.
• Appeals
• Ethos: (Creditability )
– George W. Bush is the president at the time. His father, who was a pervious president, had also gone to war in Iraq. People looked to Bush for answers.
• Pathos: (Emotion)
– There is a lot of talk of death and says the attacks on 9/11 are the worst the country has seen on American soil. Also, says how terrorist is a “dark threat” to give it an even more negative feel. In part of his speech Bush says of the terrorist wont even care if you are a man, women, or child. “..terrorists’ directive commands them to kill Christians and Jews, to kill all Americans, and make no distinction among military and civilians, including women and children.”
– Also talks about stories at ground zero. Personal stories like the one of George Howard, who died trying to save others. Bush says how we will always have these memories in our mind.
– Bush also says “God bless America” to bring a patriotic feel to the speech.
• Logos: (Logic)
– Bush knows there has to be something done after the attacks. He starts a new cabinet-level position called Homeland Security. He wants people to fell safe at home.
– We should not blame all Arabic people is said by Bush. “The enemy of America is not our many Muslim friends; it is not our many Arab friends. Our enemy is a radical network of terrorists, and every government that supports them.”
• Class Themes
• Our rights as Americans
– Bush mentions many of America’s freedoms in his speech and compares to the lack of freedom in terroristic countries. Our nation was based off of leaving brutal leaders or a hard life and coming to start a life how we wanted to.
• America coming together for a cause
– America is strong when we work together. This is shown throughout history.